Created by Lightswitch for Descanso Gardens, “Enchanted Forest of Light” uses light, art, sound, and music to guide guests on a mile-long walk through twelve original environments, illuminating some of the garden’s most beloved sites.
Created by Lightswitch for Descanso Gardens, Enchanted Forest of Light is a sensory-stimulating, seasonal nighttime experience that immerses guests in the beauty of this 150-acre botanical garden. Using light, art, sound, and music, our design guides guests on a mile-long walk through twelve original environments, illuminating some of the garden’s most beloved sites.
After visiting our award-winning holiday show Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum, Descanso Gardens asked Lightswitch to create an entirely new seasonal experience for their space. Designed to run annually, the show's goal is to attract new members and give existing members a fresh way to experience the gardens.
Lightswitch creates and produces the entire Enchanted Forest of Light experience, designing lighting, media, and interactives, as well as overseeing music selection, sound design, and technical and logistical production. We originally worked closely with Descanso for more than a year to develop an experience concept tailored to the gardens’ unique geography and collection of flora, resulting in expressive, artistic, and abstract visual experiences that transport guests to a magical realm that is both natural and otherworldly.
The show’s various environments are designed to become progressively more interactive as guests move through the experience. Over the years, we have also collaborated with outside artists, including Hybycozo, Tom Fruin, and Jen Lewin, curating varied artistic perspectives into the overall experience. Additionally, In 2023, Enchanted expanded into a new area as a result of anticipated refurbishment elsewhere in the gardens. We used this as an opportunity to relocate some audience-favorite experiences and create fresh ones in this new area.
The design of “Enchanted” intentionally does not conform to the constraints of a traditional holiday show. Our goal was to create an experience with broad appeal across Southern California’s diverse population. Instead of highlighting any holiday — and risking excluding audience members — we’ve made sure that “Enchanted” is an experience anyone can enjoy during the winter season, using light and sound to curate a warm, festive, and inviting atmosphere.
Each year, Enchanted encourages guests to touch and engage with nature, allowing them to forge an emotional connection with the special magic of Descanso Gardens. The show has become a year-end tradition in Southern California, consistently drawing sellout crowds, increasing membership numbers, and generating revenue for this beautiful non-profit botanical garden.
Photography by: Jeff Granbery | Jake Fabricius | Chris Medvitz | Shannon Dillon
